3G Protege: Center Dash Piece Removal
 

Does anyone know the disassembly procedures to remove the center audio/air control cover for a 99+? I'm planning on painting the plastic cover, as well as a couple of other trim items, in an aluminum metalizer to simulate a metal look. I have done this effect to many plastic models and think it'll work on the plastic in the car and look great. Any suggestions or answers?

Jeff
2000 Mazda Protégé

remove the center control face
 

You can get it loose by gently prying with a flat blade screw driver on the edges...with the stereo out of course, but once it's loose that is as far as I can get.

I am also wondering how to get it to come off...

The Heat control has a really stiff cable hooked to it that I cannot seem to figure out how to detach. I could just take the face itself off and not bring the controls with it (that would be ideal) but the 4 screws at the bottom that the heater and fan controls screw to the face with are impossible to get to while it is in the dash.

Any help here would be awesome guys!

Who has taken off their center control face and painted it? How does it come off?!?!?!

Thanks,

Jon

You need to follow the two hard cables behind the dash. One is on the driver side and one on the passenger side. You will need to detach them from where they're connected, as well as the clips that hold them in place behind the dash. You can then pull them out with the whole dash bezel. Take care how you route them when putting them back in, or else your knobs won't turn smoothly if you bend them too sharply.

I have a guide with images here, very detailed:

http://www.zapwizard.com/car/air/

Thanks for the help guys. I got the pieces off, painted them and will be posting pics of the results soon. BTW, I also hope to post a how-to article on removing and painting the center console.

I must have missed it when I replied the first time, but the comment about using a screwdriver to pry the trim out is a VERY bad idea. I do this type of stuff for a living, if you're not SUPER careful you'll wind up denting the plastic around the bezel. The proper way to remove it is to push the top of the vents all the back, then carefully pull on the bezel where they normally sit in the closed position.

Yeah, I tried pulling from the vents, but it wasn't too effective. Insead I used a putty knife which was thin enough to get around the edges and pried from there. The reason, for which you probably already know, a screwdriver is bad because it is a thicker intrument with less surface area to spead the force. Thanks for your help again.